Thou Shall Not Blink

I have impeccable timing when it comes to closing my eyes as a photo is about to be taken of me. I do not like to brag, but it is true, I am very good at it! Just ask Danielle.

At the beginning of Covid, we decided to start doing our own lifestyle photoshoots for our website and social media. Danielle sourced out a wonderful camera to fulfill our needs and then suggested I be the model. I have always been a private person but, I am our target market so, I agreed to give it a try.

Danielle often creates digital mood boards for our shoots which include models for me to draw inspiration from. It is helpful to see how other ladies pose and gives me something to mimic! Sometimes they are helpful and sometimes there's no helping us.

During one of our shoots, we were attempting to get a shot of me lounging in a bath tub, with no water and my clothes on. The model in the mood board made it look effortless! Well, the model must have been a good foot taller than I and I am sure her legs came up to my waist. Being the trooper I am, I crawled into the tub and attempted to do what the model did by flinging my legs up over the edge of the tub. But our tub was deeper than that in the photograph and my legs did not fling over. Nope, the closest I could get is having my tippy toes peeking out the side of the tub. Not sexy, not stylish, just me trying not to slip back down into the tub as I continually tried to clamber out. And, of course, with each attempt I just giggled more and was losing sight of what we were attempting to do. Danielle, being very patient, tried offering suggestions of how this pose could work. After several tries, we opted for a different pose and moved on.

With every shoot, there are times that Danielle must wrangle me in from laughing or getting distracted. Of course, she is often the reason I am laughing. There is no one who can make me laugh like she can. And there are times when Danielle has to repeat herself until it registers in my mind what she wants me to do. Some days, I struggle with which finger/ thumb she wants tucked in my pocket. I go through them all until I get it right. But just so you know, if I am not in front of a camera, I do know which are my fingers and thumbs, just saying!

For lifestyle content that we do not shoot ourselves, we have the pleasure of working with lovely Liz from Elizabeth Holly Photography. When Liz is taking photos of both Danielle and I, Danielle is a natural model, so beautiful and poised. It takes me a little longer to do as Liz asks. I think it makes Danielle feel better knowing I blink just as frequently for Liz as I do her. Thank goodness they are both so patient!

To be honest, after doing so many shoots over the last few years, I have gotten more comfortable in front of the camera and need less direction from Danielle which makes her job easier. Each shoot has an element of hilarity which makes the whole experience even more fun. Our photoshoots are just another way Danielle and I can connect, celebrate working together and share the Carolily love.

- Donna